That’s all I could think about when I first heard about the Friday shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The kids killed were just like the ones I talk to day in and day out — no older than 10, but more full of life than most adults I know.

You know by now that 20 children were killed. You know by now that those 20 children were all six and seven years old. You know by now, like you knew the moment you heard they were dead, that their families are experiencing a kind of heart-wrenching, never-ending heartbreak that none of us can put into words.

But do you know what it’s like to talk to an elementary schooler?

They’re funny. They’re off the cuff. They’re oddly, poignantly eloquent, and they often give me better quotes than any of my other sources.

and probably for days to come, I will not understand what could possess someone to take that life away from them.

This week’s Stuff looks at the lives of those little ones. Read on:

From the New York Times, Dan Barry writes about the first two funerals in the town, for six-year-olds Jack Pinto and Noah Pozner. The quote that hit me over the head came from eight-year-old Nolan Krieger, about his buddy Jack: “We liked to wrestle. We played Wii. We just played all the time. I can’t believe I’m never going to see him again.” Find it here.

From the Washington Post, editors compiled the statements made by Noah Pozner’s mother and uncle at his funeral. They talk about Noah’s plans to work at a taco factory, how he loved his twin sister Arielle and the things that made him happiest: animals, video games, reading. “Noah was a little kid,” his uncle said, simply. Find it here.

From Slate, Justin Peters writes about the deadliest school shooting in American history, in Bath, Mich. An angry school board member literally blew up the building, killing 38 children and seven adults. The massacre has stayed with people for years, Peters writes, noting that people living in the town in 2009 still regarded themselves as survivors. Find it here.

From the New York Times, Joseph Berger writes about one woman who kept the death tally at Sandy Hook from being higher: first-grade teacher Victoria Soto. She hid her students in closets and cabinets, making sure they were safe before doing anything else. As her college roommate put it: “It does not surprise me at all that Vicki died protecting her kids.” Find it here.

Don’t Read Our Stuff is published every Thursday. It’s got the week’s most interesting education news that wasn’t written by us. For more stories we didn’t think of (and some we did), follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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In Our Schools is a blog dedicated to K-12 public education in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties. Here, you’ll find out what we’re working on, and you can let us know what you think needs a second look.

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